We all are.Yet some people live their lives copying someone else’s. Unconsciously of course (for some). Most crave for attention, there’s no surprise there. Question: how can you get attention if you look and act just like everybody else?
If we all look the same, walk, talk the same, how boring will this world get!

There are billions of people in the world and we all have different fingerprints. That in itself shows that we were not born to be the same.
I know (rolls eyes) media, social influences and all that crap. I get it. My point is, we all have the power to actually choose to be different. Don’t get me wrong, I tried to be someone else too. Well, it was a mix for me. Britney Spears abs, Nicole Scherzinger’s height, Kim Kardashian’s life minus the scandal, some girl in the grocery store’s hair…

At the end of the day, all I got was 100% of April. And I couldn’t be happier..

Yes, we can admire people. Heck! We should. They can be your inspiration.
Admire them but not be them. There’s a difference. Best thing you can do is be the best of what YOU can be.

Until you stop trying to be someone else, then that’s the moment you truly learn to love who you are.

So here you go. My thoughts on how to be different.

1. Know what you want and who you are

I can go on and on about daring to be different but if you don’t know what you want and who you are, what’s the point? It all starts there. Know yourself first then let the whole world know next.. 🙂

2. Be Real

Did you know that plastics is bad for the environment? Same goes with plastic people. These are the people who loves you to death when you’re around but when you turn your back, they have a 6-inch knife ready to stab you with. We all know some plastics. We all hate them so why be like them? Be Genuine. If you don’t like someone, tell them gently. Don’t spread it all over campus or worse, all over Facebook. It’s so childish. It actually shows more about your character than the person who’s reputation you just destroyed. Be real. Be you.

3. Kick Fear’s Ass.

People don’t speak out or do what they want due to F-E-A-R. That 4-letter word that is so damn paralyzing! You’re gay. So what?? Scared of what people would think of you? Scared how your parents would react? Scared of ridicule? Look, you’re ashamed and scared enough to actually tell people who you really are; so expect that they will be ashamed of you too. Harsh. I know.

But you have to know that if there’s one person who should be proud of you, its YOU.

Easy for me to say, huh? Maybe. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It means that I can be objective with my opinion. Again, be proud of who you are. Kick fear’s ass and just go for it! It might hurt you and your loved ones but I know how freeing it can be to just be you. And if the people in your life truly loves you, they will accept you no matter what.

4. Speak out and Stand out

People will continue to assume until you tell them otherwise. I had this friend who kept ordering fish for me every time we went out but I didn’t have the heart to tell him I hated it. 2 years passed… Yes, that’s 730 days. That’s when I finally had the courage to tell him how I felt and he just laughed about it. If only I had the courage back then, I would have enjoyed devouring buckets of chicken than gulping down fish.

Speak out. Be heard. But make sure that you express your thoughts with respect. Just because you have the courage to do it, does not mean you have to with Bronx attitude. Be respectful. Got that homey?

5. Be ready for the consequences

People hate change that they try so hard to keep things just the way they are. Change is inevitable. What we can do is learn to adapt to it. Being different is not easy. It’s easier to just go along with what our friends want, with what our parents want (remember the Nurse Boom?) I can relate. Enrolling for a course your parents like? All so familiar. It’s not going to be smooth sailing. But things that forces you to pass rough roads are usually worth it. Success is not a destination, it’s a journey. Enjoy it. And the best success for me is knowing that you fought for yourself. Your true self.

The high-heeled walking, fashion forward sex advisor of the TV series Sex and the City. She has been sashaying our screens for years.
She has influenced women around the globe in many different ways. From loving fashion to being independent to adoring those awesome Manolos, she has touched our lives one way or another.

I love writing, always have. But she made me love it more. Who wouldn’t want her life? Published author, telling people what to do in the sack? C’mon!
Not to mention the clothes, great friends and Mr. Big! Woah!

So I have been writing since I can remember but it has always been for myself.
That’s the good thing about writing, you can express yourself without hurting other people unless you let them read your stories where they are the main character and the villain too! (yikes!)

So l tried blogging late last year, not really caring who would read it because I already have a #1 Fan. Thank God for boyfriends,right?

And this year, I applied in a writing company. I thought it might be easy; not knowing that our articles will be sent to the clients and will be approved by them.
I really didn’t know why I didn’t think of that. Of course the clients will approve it first!

Now I’m a self-proclaimed funny girl. Well, in my writing anyway and my boyfriend does laugh. On the inside.
Articles are usually formal, very straight to the point and quite the textbook type of writing.
My style is quite different as you can read.
So after I sent in 2 of my articles and realized the approval process, I think I had a mini attack.
The kind of attack that you can hardly breathe and you just want to cover yourself with a blanket, stay home forever and not talk to any living creature. That heart attack.

3 days passed and still no word.
My 2nd mini heart attack was when I saw the list of writers who were waiting for the approval and the pink highlight was screaming on my screen with the words “REJECTED”. Mini Heart Attack. Oh, it wasn’t me but the word rejected was enough to make me squirm.

My moment of truth.
This morning, I received an email from one of the administrators, 3rd mini attack?
Almost; but then I saw the words “Good News!” Well, you know how it ends.
The clients actually like my style! Good thing they have a sense of humor, huh?

So yes, I am now a professional (getting paid for what you do) writer.
Okay, maybe not quite yet but I’m getting there.
I’m just so blessed to be doing something that I love and earning at the same time.
The best part is, I can write and still organize events because I own my time. Wicked awesome!
So Carrie Bradshaw, thank you for giving people sex advise. That’s all I’m thankful for. lol

Let me walk you though that moment…
Me, opening wordpress not expecting any notifications just new post from my beloved fellow bloggers.
But when I opened it, the star for the notification was shining like a dream (like I said, drama queen)
And when I opened it, it was Lesley Carter of lesleycarter.wordpress.com.. (a big fan)
So there I was, just staring at my monitor for what felt like forever or maybe 10 secs.

And then I cried. Tears was just flowing out. I was so touched by a simple like.
Billions of people around the world and she found her way through my blog.
I guess it’s different when it comes from someone that you admire or look up to.
And because of that, I will continue writing.
Not for anybody else, but for myself…

So goodbye silent April and Hello not-so-silent May…

I won’t give up writing… You guys won’t be able to get rid of me that easy. ;p

My silver anniversary on this planet was a good one. And I plan to make this year even better.

My birthday wish? that I can learn to believe in my dreams again.

It’s amazing how as children we believe in almost everything and along the way we just lose that..

Let’s hold on to that. To that faith that anything can happen.
To that belief that we can be whatever we want to be, achieve whatever we want to achieve..
Let’s not let go of the child within us because at the end of the day, dreams keeps us going…

I’m 24 (+2), rockin’ it, will continue to rock and and will believe again…

If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s eating.
And I just love doing it over and over again. Of course, I’ll die if I don’t.

One lazy afternoon, I was hungry and was craving for a Buddies Taco.
So off we went to get one. But to our dismay, we’ll, MY dismay, they were closed.
On a weekday. I don’t get it.

I really wanted to get some snacks so we dropped by AH PHET’S NOODLES HOUSE.
It’s a chinese restaurant located in Escario, Cebu City before you reach LEX Hotel.

Well anyway, I did say snacks so you would expect that we ordered noodles.
Yes, we did. But just noodles? Cmon!
See what our snacks looked like…. (Don’t underestimate a food lover and a natural-born big eater…)

Beef Brisket – P65
The noodles. We ordered 1 for each of us.
Snacks? Ya right!

Rice topping: Humba (Pata Tim) P99

Does this look like snack food to you??
I told you I Iove eating! (Sometimes, a little too much)
This dish is so fatty that I can feel my heart stop.
And it just might if I don’t exercise and eat like this everyday.
THe taste is not bad… It’s okay. Not something that I’d go crazy over but it’s okay.

Oriental Spring Chicken – P99

Ryan loves his chicken. He just might turn into one! haha

Total: P389

But I do commend them for their good customer service. The waitress who waited on us was always smiling and very accommodating.
Price is not bad too. You can always visit the place if you are in the mood for noodles.

We all have those moments.
Even with all the social sites (another food picture?)
and online games (my hero is so going to die this round), we still get bored.
Well, I do.

I’ve tried almost everything to kill boredom.

And here is my top 10 list:

10. Read
– Get lost in a book. Get swept off your feet by a Knight in the Medieval period with the classics, scare yourself silly with a Stephen King or simply solve a case with Alex Cross. Leave boredom and create a new world inside your mind…

9. Music Trip
– Listen to your already compiled playlist or get new tunes to stay hip. (do people still say hip these days? lol)

6. Cook a Meal
– New dish, wine, soft music… We need to have a few dates with ourselves too, you know.

5. Make a goal list/ to do list

– # 1: Get out of this boredom

4. Watch a movie you haven’t seen
– Or if you’re too bored, watch an old movie that you enjoy and say the lines together with the characters. Everyone has that movie where they have memorized almost all of the lines to. Yes, you have one too.

3. Dance
– Nothing beats beating a boredom while swaying to a beat…
You know what I mean.

2. Work-out
– Hey, it’s the best time to get fit— when you’re bored!
Besides, if you get too tired, there are 9 more things on this list that you can do..

1. Sleep
– Nothing makes the time move faster than when you’re sleeping. When you wake up and you find yourself in the state of boredom again, just go back to sleep. It’s that easy!

But seriously, we really need to get off our arses and get a life to prevent boredom..
Get out and try something new for a change…

This is a tale of today’s adventure. Spent at a hospital.. (too obvious?)
I know, lame name. But I like it!

So, our tale starts at 9pm where I was seated on my working chair, laptop in hand and ready to work for tonight’s shift.
Now I live with my cousin and her “hobby” this week is taking a bath with milk.
That’s right people. Milk.

As a Filipina, I guess she wanted to look fairer while I always want to be tan (my skin is fairer than hers by the way). People. Never satisfied, huh?

Anyway, so she took her time in the shower about an hour and a half with her milk bath.
Satisfied, she went to bed.

I was on my headset listening to music while I was working with prices, checking suppliers and their contacts and whatnot.

2am.

I needed a drink so of course, I took off my headset when……
I heard the softest voice saying “Ling…” (I’m called Darling by my family…)
Calling ignored. I thought it was the radio or a cat.
It was 2 in the morning.. cmon!

Then I heard it again…. “Ling…”
I heard myself say… “Please don’t let it be a ghost..”
And then a 3rd time…. “Ling…”

It was my cousin calling out for me. I opened her door and there she was, in so much pain that she can barely walk. (I know it’s not funny……. yet.)
It turned out, she has been calling out for me for the last 20mins.
Thank you headset. tsk.

So as a Nurse by profession, I did everything I could.
Administered pain reliever, warm compress (stopped in fear of making it worse if its appendicitis), positioning and everything else I could think of.
Yet her pain scale was 9. That’s high.

And so, we called her boyfriend… well, ex-boyfriend (they’re cool) to come and bring her to the hospital.

That’s how early we go and hear mass.
I have that side too, you know (religious). Well, sometimes.

Anyway, I watched “The secret” again days ago and wanted to try it out.
My boyfriend was a candidate to be given the opportunity to be a trainer/ mentor in one of their company’s account so, as a supportive girlfriend, I called onto the universe and believed that he’ll get it . Which I actually do believe that he will.

That was last night.

What better way to do a follow up than at a church right? The universe needed a little boosting up so I did it again this morning. As we stepped out of the church checking both our phones, lo and behold!

He got the confirmation that he was chosen to be one of the mentors. Oh yeah!
I was so proud of him that I was literally jumping up and down the street. I looked silly but who cares? He got it! (I’m already silly so it doesn’t really make a difference)

And as manly as he is, he just hugged me, kissed my forehead and said thanks.
Yeah right! For all I know, his insides was doing cartwheels and backflips. hahaha
C’mon! We needed to celebrate.
So that’s how we ended up in this restaurant:Muvan’s Pocherohan and Seafoods.

We have a lot to celebrate and I wanted my guy to have a good hot meal.

And so we did.

I don’t have actual pictures of the food that was served, unfortunately.
You have to understand. It was 8am, I had no sleep and my stomach was complaining like crazy. So yeah, I had an ulterior motive for bringing my boyfriend here.
What? I was hungry…

But I did manage to take a picture of the menu.
You’ll be surprised at how affordable it is and they really do serve good food. So check this out.

But just a little reference for those of you out there who does not know what in the world we were eating, here’s something to clear that up.

*Spam- A canned meat product made mainly from ham.
* Lechon Kawali- is pork belly deep fried in a kawali, which is Filipino for a wok or a deep frying pan.
* Pochero- casserole dish of boiled beef, chicken, dumplings and vegetables.

And here’s a Muvan’s pochero picture…
I’ll provide one myself next time… Promise. (Unless I get so hungry and just eat everything again before taking the picture.lol)

The word that keeps calling my name and I keep running away from.
Don’t act so innocent.. I know we’re on the same page.

Weight-related goals make up 34% of people’s New year’s resolution.
Personally, that’s on my list every single year and would last for about a week. That’s long enough… i think.

Anyway, I found a simple formula for losing weight. Since I don’t really like counting calories or writing down what I eat every single second, I live by the rule…

MOVE MORE, EAT LESS.

But somehow, I keep interchanging the two.. (innocent look).

Since I’m not into exercise, I need to find another way to lose weight while having fun.

So here’s my list.

1. Dancing
I have always been dancing since I can remember. From kindergarten until now. I wasn’t blessed with a dancer’s body but that never stopped me though. Dancing is an expression of you who are. It’s not about the body, it’s about the talent. oh yeah!

Check out this girl from “So you think you can dance.” TV show.
She is an inspiration.

(watched it after pasting the link)
Hmmm… I was suppose to make a list of fun exercises.
But after seeing that video (teary-eyed by the way), scratch that. I’ve decided to make this a blog about dancing.

I was also told that Dancing isn’t for me because of my figure.
I proved them wrong. But sometimes, it still stings, you know?
But I guess that’s how it is if you are passionate about something.
You get persecuted for it. You know why that is?

I believe that people do that because they are not brave enough to do what they love the most and it hurts them seeing people despite everything, doing something that they are passionate about..
I don’t know. That’s what I think anyway. (I’m serious too sometimes…)

Since I run my own business and have a part-time online job, I don’t get to dance that much.

So…..

For all you dance lover’s out there, you can try these out:

1. Zumba– upbeat music, fun steps, colorful theme and clothing. No need to worry about the steps since it will be provided for you. There other dances out there too. If you would opt for a sexier and laid back dancing, you can try Tiffany Rothe videos. They’re designed to bring out the sexy vixen in you!

2. Follow choreographs– One of my favorite things to do is follow choreography as if I was in the studio with the dancers.
One of my favorites is Jasmin Meakin; she’s 36 years old but she still got it!
Video length is an average of 2-3mins but since you will still be trying to copy their moves (not tutorial videos), it might take you 15-20mins to learn them.
(Thank you Pause button!) So you will really be sweating it out.

3. Do your own thing– all you need is an MP3 and yourself!
You can choose the music and no specific clothing requirement. The best part? you can do this practically anywhere and anytime. At home or on vacation, Alone or with friends, you name it!
Easy access to the beats that you want to have your groove on..

You know what, I’m going to go dance right now and have fun while sweatin’ it!
And based on experience, dancing really helps you lose weight. Let’s not make our schedules an excuse not to take care of ourselves and have fun…

Let me leave you with this..

“Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music.”
― George Carlin